NLP Resourcefulness Exercise

Think of something you are nervous about doing or an encounter you are dreading, like a job interview, something that makes you feel unsure or incompetent.

Shake yourself, to free your body of that posture. Next, remember a time when you shone, when you knew what to say and you felt comfortable in your skin. Remember it as vividly as you can, using all your senses.

Check your body out, top to toe:

How are you standing?

How is your head?

How are your shoulders?

How are you breathing? Watch very carefully what your breathing feels like when you are confident.

Now, while you are feeling resourceful, think back to the situation that is worrying you. How does it seem now?

Make a habit of checking you are in a confident posture, looking up and breathing well before you face a difficult situation.

Better still, make an anchor to that resourceful state:

Making an Anchor

Remember three occasions when you did well and felt confident, one after the other.

Remember them as vividly as you can, using all your senses:

What did you see, hear, feel, smell? Remember the sensory details, like the sound of an audience’s laughter or applause if you were making a speech.

When the memory is at its peak, make your anchor. It is best to use more than one sense, for example, make a fist and say the word “strong.”

Then next time you want to access that good feeling, just fire your anchor. Stand straight, firm your fist, say “strong” and face your challenge.

Further reading:

Unlimited Power: the New Science of Personal Achievement by Anthony Robbins.